Present post-operative treatment following prostatic surgery or other surgical procedures involves the use of a gravity feed of saline or other solution through a multiple channel catheter feeding through the urinary tract into the bladder and draining waste through a second channel of the catheter. Blood clots or other matter tend to clog the waste channel or control value, causing a pressure build up in the bladder with resulting patient discomfort. Present practice and apparatus require a nurse or well-trained technician to disconnect the tubing from the gravity feed supply and the waste channel. A syringe filled with solution from a separate supply of solution is then connected to the waste channel and pressure is applied alternately with suction to dislodge the blockage. This pressure applied to an already pressurized bladder results in further patient discomfort, in addition to that caused by the disconnecting and reconnecting of tubing to the catheter which dilates the urinary tract to a degree that is painful. Previous practice also involved taping the catheter to the patients thigh. This practice was discontinued.
There are numerous patents relating to this art and many of these are directed to valve structures designed for systems of this type. This background disclosure is restricted to those patents which are believed most relevant.
One patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 2,148,541 which shows the use of suction means connected to valves in a colon therapy device for alternately expanding and contracting a part of the colon while fluid is circulating.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,736 discloses a surgical valve assembly for urinary bladder irrigation in which the valve core of a four-way valve is rotated to establish communication between the second and fourth ports of the valve to enable a quantity of irrigating fluid to be drawn into a receptacle; then to interconnect the first and fourth ports to successively discharge the irrigating fluid into the urinary tract and withdraw the same from the urinary tract back into the receptacle; then to interconnect the third and fourth ports to discharge from the receptacle the irrigated fluid and the matter withdrawn therewith from the urinary tract and into the urinary bag; finally to interconnect the first and third ports of the valve to permit conventional drainage from the urinary tract into urinary drainage bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,840 discloses a device for cathetherising the bladder, comprising catheter conduit means and pump means through which the flow direction of transported fluid is reversible in both means, a first pump connection connecting the pump means to the catheter means, valve means, a second pump connection connecting the pump means to the valve means, a return conduit means for communicating with a liquid container containing a liquid to be returned to the bladder, the valve means being operable to selectively arrange communication between the second pump connection and one of the discharge means and return conduit means in dependence on the delivery direction of the pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,609 is very basic, as it concerns irrigation apparatus for connecting a sterile fluid source and a waste container to a catheter comprising catheter means; a first substantially straight tubular member connected to a sterile fluid source, a second substantially straight tubular member positioned adjacent to and in parallel allignment with the first tubular member, the adjacent openings of the first and second tubular members being fused to form a common passageway coupled to the catheter means, the remaining opening of the second tubular member being adapted to pass sterile fluid to a waste container, said first and second tubular members being formed of a flexible material to permit manual manipulation of said tubular members for removal of obstructions occurring in the apparatus during the irrigation operation, the inner diameters of the tubular members each being greater than the inner diameter of the catheter, first and second clamping means connected to the remaining openings of the first and second tubular member respectively, for controlling the flow of this fluid source, the clamping means being adapted to cooperate with the first and second tubular members to facilitate the removal of constrictions occurring in the apparatus; adhesive means for joining the first and second tubular members along substantially all of their entire lengths to facilitate manipulation thereof.
As will be seen hereinafter, none of the above patents disclose, hint or suggest in any manner the herein described highly simplified, easily operated system.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a simiplified irrigation and drainage system which can be used by relatively unskilled hospital personnel or by the patient as required, without danger or excessive discomfort to the patient.
An equally important object of this invention is to provide a closed system of this type which eliminates the need for repeated disconnecting and reconnecting of tubes, catheters, syringes and separate supplies of solution and thus reduces the possibility of infection.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive, yet reliable, disposable control valve for the apparatus in combination with fluid conducting tubes having compressible bulbs and check valves useful in clearing obstructions.